Judith Browning wrote:I grow and gather a lot of dye plants and materials but I think my all time favorite is a variety of cosmos called 'Bright Lights'.
The flowers can be used either fresh or dried and make a beautiful orange on wool. I pick them weekly over the summer and they bloom prolifically on into fall.
They attract so many butterflies and other pollinators...that alone would be a great reason to grow them. The plants are quite tall and can be bushy.
![]()
![]()
not sure I've attached the photos I intended...a crocheted wool blanket with all natural dyes...the cosmos flower dye being the orange one.
and the second image should be our garden. The cosmos are the orange and yellow flowers, smaller than the deeper orange/red Mexican sunflowers.
and they make prolific seed that is easy to save and share....I would be happy to send a small handful to anyone in the states who would like to try them?